The instant invention relates to a wick cartridge assembly which may be used for wetting document sheets passing thereover, and more particularly to such an assembly for wetting document sheets containing a water-activated adhesive.
Millions of business correspondence forms are utilized in commerce and the like, such as billing invoices, delivery notification, and the like. At the present time, multisheet business forms, some utilizing carbon paper or other means of duplication, are sold by manufacturers and delivered to the users. The forms are removed from their shipping container and inserted in a typewriter or printer which may be operated by a computer. The billing information or the like may be fed into a computer system which operates the typewriter or printer, to place the desired billing information on the forms. Each form may differ in its information, in that the typewriter or printer will insert a different customer with a different address, and a different billing amount (or other information) for each form.
In the above prior art systems, it is necessary for the forms to carry severable, lateral side strips having holes into which the pins of a form feeding sprocket fit, so that there is precise control of the position of the data entered onto the various layers of the business form, which is typically pre-printed. The pre-printed portions must, of course, be in precise registration with the material which is added by the computerized typewriter or printer.
After the desired information has been entered by the computerized typewriter or printer, the forms are manually severed from each other, and the side strips with holes are removed. The forms may then be placed in an envelope.
The amount of paper in the side strips generally constitutes approximately 10 percent of the entire paper used in the forms, and thus constitutes a significant waste of paper, since the side strips are discarded. Furthermore, a considerable amount of manual labor is necessary to remove the forms from the typewriter or printer, to separate the forms and insert them into envelopes. Additionally, a significant amount of waste and delay is encountered by the simple step of shipping the blank business forms to the processor, involving the added expense of packaging materials and shipping expenses.
In response to the foregoing problems, a process has been developed for the production of message-containing envelopes in which the message may differ. Because the lateral, removable, perforated portions for alignment are unnecessary, there is a substantial savings in paper. The end product of this process constitutes a sealed, addressed envelope, ready for mailing. The assignee of the instant invention has developed apparatus for forming such envelopes from flexible sheets containing a water-activated adhesive. More specifically, the assignee of the instant invention has developed apparatus for applying moisture to a flexible document containing a water-activated adhesive. The apparatus includes a reservoir for storing a source of water, a supporting arm extending from the reservoir, a pivotable hammer pivotably mounted to the supporting arm and extending toward the reservoir, and a moistening wick extending from the reservoir toward the pivotable hammer. The area between the moistening wick and the pivotable hammer defines a document path. The apparatus further includes a flexible, one-way gate secured to the lower portion of the hammer for movement therewith, the gate having an end portion extending into the document path. The apparatus also includes a gate deflector secured to the gate and lower hammer portion for movement therewith. Movement of a document up the document path from the gate deflector toward the pivotable hammer causes the gate to flex out of the document path and movement of a document down the document path from the pivotable hammer toward the gate deflector causes the gate to engage the document and bend around the gate deflector to thereby cause the hammer to pivot and urge the document against the wick, thereby applying moisture to those portions of the document.
The foregoing apparatus is especially useful in combination with a buckle chute folder for forming message-containing, self-sealing envelopes. However, because the wick is constantly engaging the adhesive on the envelope, the wick tends to become gummy. Moreover, the wick tends to wear out quickly, thereby necessitating frequent replacement or adjustment. An additional problem arising from the quick wearing out is that the wick soon loses its precise location with respect to the document being wetted and optimal contact between the wick and document is lost. The instant invention therefore provides a wick cartridge assembly which overcomes the foregoing problems and which may be used in a variety of environments, but is especially useful with the moisture applying apparatus described hereinabove.